Thanksgiving Recipes – Chef Favorites

Prep Time: 1 hour 40 minutes | Cook Time: 22 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 2 minutes

Equipment Needed:

• Stand mixer
• Pastry mat
• 9×13 inch baking pan

• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped herbs of choice, (thyme, rosemary, parsley, oregano, sage)
• 4 large cloves of minced garlic

Ingredients for the Topping

Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and let cool to 110 °F (this is important, otherwise the yeast will not properly activate). Add the yeast and stir until dissolved. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, beat the flour, sugar and salt until just combined. Add the milk/butter mixture, garlic and herbs and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 4 to 5 minutes. If the dough is too wet, add more flour (1 tbsp at a time) until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl, oil the inside of the bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece of dough into a log 12 inches long. Divide each log into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece tightly into a ball.

Transfer the dough balls to the prepared baking pan (6 rows with 4 rolls in each row = 24 total). Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 °F 

In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, herbs and garlic. Brush the tops of the rolls with garlic herb butter and bake for 20-22 minutes, until golden brown.

Chef Tip:

Store in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for 3 days, or in the freezer for 4 days.

Chef Mary’s Michelin Mashed Potatoes

Based a on a recipe from Michelin Star Chef Andrew Fairlie.

Yield: 8 servings

Special Equipment: A potato ricer or food mill fitted with fine disk

Ingredients

• 4 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise, (optional)
• 3 sprigs rosemary (optional)
• 1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions 

Place potatoes in a large pot and pour in cold water to cover by 1″. Add a 1 Tablespoon of salt (water should taste briny, like the ocean) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are very tender but not crumbly, 30–35 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to warm pot (off heat) to dry while you heat the milk mixture.

Warm milk, cream, (garlic, and rosemary sprigs if using) in a small saucepan over medium until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Pass hot potatoes through ricer or food mill into a large bowl (cold potatoes will become gummy). Add an additional 2 teaspoons of salt and stir in the butter until completely incorporated. Strain warm milk and cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring glass. Pour into potatoes 1/2-cupful at a time, stirring after each addition until liquid is fully incorporated and mixture is smooth before adding more. Add until desired consistency is achieved, may not need all the liquid.

Serve mashed potatoes topped with a few grinds of pepper.

Chef Tip:

Do Ahead: Mashed potatoes can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat over medium, stirring often and adding 1/4 cup milk or stock to thin out if needed.

Chef Rocky’s Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients for Sweet Potatoes

• 4 Cups of Peeled, Cubed Sweet Potatoes 
• 2 Large Eggs, beaten
• 1/2 Cup White Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 4 Tablespoons of Butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of Salt

Ingredients for Pecan Topping

• 1/2 Cup of Packed Brown Sugar
• 1/3 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 3 Tablespoons of Butter, softened
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans

Directions 

Gather the ingredients. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

To prepare the sweet potatoes: Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium-high heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Mash drained sweet potatoes with a fork. Add eggs; mix until well combined. Add sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt; mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9×13-inch baking dish.

To make the topping: Mix brown sugar and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture is coarse and looks like peas; don’t overmix. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle topping over sweet potato mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven until topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Chef Tips: